June 11-14, 2024
En route to Tenerife, the ship finally had a passenger talent show! Myself and two fellow guitar players – calling ourselves “The Mutineers” – played “All I Have to Do is Dream” and “Lay Down Sally” – we received many accolades – and it was fun!
We ended our African journey the way it began – on a beautiful tropical garden. John and I had visited Tenerife via cruise ship many years ago, but cruise ships now docks in a different port, so mostly new.
Our kayaking and snorkeling tour was on the south most part of the island in the city of Los Cristianos, a 200 Euro taxi ride away. There is a public bus, but rental cars were available at the port so we indulged in a car for the 1 1/2 days in port to get around the island.
Once we started driving we could tell we had returned to the 1st world – a highway ran the western coast of Tenerife and quickly took us to our destination. We arrived early – and our tour was pushed back by an hour, so after driving around and around for over twenty minutes we found a parking spot as another person left. Los Cristianos is a touristy, beachside town, fun of bars and cafe’s – catering to mainly British tourists, reminding me of Benidorm in Spain.
Our kayaking guide gave a quick safety talk and instructions on how to get into the kayak in waist deep water. He said he would give us deep water instructions “later”. The kayaking part was fine: John is not great at steering, but we got where we needed to go. The tour’s description was “filled with wildlife – dolphins and turtles often surround the kayaks and play”. Not one dolphin, not one turtle. When we got out of the kayak to snorkel I managed to tip it over – taking John in with me. We saw lots of sardines and small fish, rapidly shifting and turning in waves, along with some larger fish, but the surf and current rose while swimming. I returned to the kayak – and couldn’t get in. The current sucked my very floaty legs (I’m a human cork) under the canoe and I couldn’t keep my body upright enough to push myself up. Finally, the guide came over and pulled me up from the other side after I exhausted myself. So much for all the upper body work I’ve been doing on the trip. (The guide promised pictures – but the only one he took of us I couldn’t download).
We kayaked back to the beach. Once we reached the rental car my back completely seized up – and I had forgotten to pack the ibuprofen when we changed out the backpacks. John went in search, but the “pharmacy” was a natural pharmacy and what he came back with had a lot of vitamins (and a little salicylate – so that may have helped a little). As long as I stayed still, my back did OK, so we continued with the plan to return to Santa Cruz via the mountain roads that took us above the cloud line. It was lovely.
The next morning, my back was some better, and we drove to the nearby town of La Laguna, one of the original settlements of Tenerife.
Like Los Cristianos – we drove around for a long time before we could find a parking spot. Unfortunately, no rainbow dress for the upcoming Rainbow Party, but I found something colorful.
We enjoyed two sea days before arriving in Gibraltar – welcome to Europe!
Liam and Alan had visited about five years earlier and warned us that the town was “awful”. We walked into town to meet our Guru walk guide – and the area was perfectly pleasant. (They later told us all of the streets had been repaved, cleaned up and the pedestrian only area created since their previous visit).
The name “Gibraltar” came from an abbreviation of Jebel Tarik- meaning Tarik’s mountain in Arabic for the Berber leader that first conquered the area. The rock has been inhabited by many countries – early Spanish, then the Moors for almost 700 years, back to Spain for another 240, and then the British since 1713. It is one of the only places throughout the Commonwealth that has a post box with every King or Queen since George I (including the very rare Edward VIII, who only ruled for one year before abdicating).
John found a massage after our tour. I wanted to go up the cable car to the top of the rock, but the lines were already long and our time in port very short, so settled for a pint and some shopping.
That night was the Rainbow party to celebrate with so many of my friends –
Now onward to Corfu!